Thin film transistor array substrate

ABSTRACT

A thin film transistor array substrate including a substrate, scan lines, data lines, thin film transistors, pixel electrodes, common lines and a patterned upper electrode is provided. The scan lines and the data lines are disposed over the substrate to define pixel areas. Each thin film transistor is disposed within one of the pixel areas and is driven by one of the scan lines and data lines. Each pixel electrode is disposed within one of the pixel areas and is electrically connected to one of the thin film transistors. Common lines are disposed over the substrate such that a portion area of each pixel electrode is located above one of the common lines. The pattern upper electrode includes sub-upper electrodes disposed between the pixel electrode and the common line. The sub-upper electrodes are electrically connected to the pixel electrodes for coupling with the common lines to form a storage capacitor.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation application of patent application Ser. No.12/190,577, filed on Aug. 12, 2008, now allowed, which is a divisionalapplication of patent application Ser. No. 11/971,886, filed on Jan. 9,2008, now patented. The prior application Ser. No. 11/971,886 is acontinuation of a prior application Ser. No. 11/695,056, filed on Apr.2, 2007, now patented. The prior application Ser. No. 11/695,056 is adivisional application of a prior application Ser. No. 10/904,042, filedon Oct. 21, 2004, now patented, which claims the priority benefit ofTaiwan application no. 93123443, filed on Aug. 5, 2004, now patented.The entirety of each of the above-mentioned patent and patentapplications is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a partof this specification.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a thin film transistor array substrateand a repairing method thereof. More particularly, the present inventionrelates to a thin film transistor array substrate and a repairing methodthat minimizes the production of leaky storage capacitors.

2. Description of the Related Art

The rapid development of multimedia systems come about as a result ofthe progress in manufacturing semiconductor devices and monitors. In thepast, cathode ray tubes (CRT) are the principal display devices in themarket because of their fine display quality and moderate pricing.However, due to the bulkiness of CRT and the environmental concernsregarding the production of hazardous radiation and the high powerconsumption, CRT has been gradually phased out and replaced by moreenviron-friendly display devices with a compact, slim and light body.One such display device is the thin film transistor liquid crystaldisplay (TFT-LCD). Because of the high display quality, superior spatialutilization, low power consumption and radiation free operationcharacteristics, TFT-LCD has become one of the mainstream products inthe market.

A conventional thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD)typically comprises a thin film transistor (TFT) array, acolor-filtering array substrate and a liquid crystal layer. The thinfilm transistor array substrate comprises an array of thin filmtransistors and a pixel electrode corresponding to each thin filmtransistor. Each thin film transistor serves as a switch in each liquidcrystal display unit. In addition, a particular pixel unit is selectedthrough a scan line and a data line. By applying a suitable operatingvoltage to select scan line and data line, pixel data is displayed onthe pixel unit. In general, a portion area of the pixel electrode willcover the scan line or a common line so that the overlapping portionarea can serve as a storage capacitor (Cst) and permit various pixelswithin the TFT-LCD to operate normally.

In the conventional process of fabricating the data line, the source andthe drain, an upper electrode is also disposed between each pixelelectrode and its corresponding common line (or scan line). Furthermore,the pixel electrode and the upper electrode are electrically connectedso that the upper electrode, the common line (or scan line) and thedielectric layer between the two together form a storage capacitorhaving a metal-insulator-metal structure.

FIG. 1 is a top view of a portion of a conventional thin film transistorarray substrate. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view along lineA-A' of the thin film transistor array substrate in FIG. 1. As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional thin film transistor array substrate 100mainly comprises a substrate 110, a plurality of scan lines 120, aplurality of data lines 130, a plurality of thin film transistors 140, aplurality of pixel electrodes 150, a plurality of common lines 160 (onlyone is shown) and a plurality of upper electrode 170.

The scan lines 120 and the data lines 130 are disposed over thesubstrate 110 to define a plurality of pixel areas 112. Each thin filmtransistor 140 is disposed inside one of the pixel areas 112 and isdriven by one of the scan lines 120 and data lines 130. Each pixelelectrode 150 is also disposed inside one of the pixel areas 112 and iselectrically connected to one of the thin film transistors 140. Thecommon line 160 is disposed over the substrate 110 such that a portionarea of the pixel electrode 150 is above one of the common lines 160.

In addition, an upper electrode 170 is disposed between each pixelelectrode 150 and one of the common lines 160. Furthermore, a dielectriclayer 180 is disposed between the upper electrode 170 and thecorresponding common line 160 for isolating the upper electrode 170 andthe common line 160. Another dielectric layer 190 is also disposedbetween the upper electrode 170 and one of the pixel electrodes 150. Thedielectric layer 190 has a contact 192 for connecting the upperelectrode 170 and the corresponding pixel electrode 150 electricallytogether.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper electrode 170 and the corresponding commonline 160 together form a storage capacitor (Cst) that smooth out thenormal operation of various pixels within the thin film transistorliquid crystal display. However, any processing defect or other factorsmay lead to some particles falling into the dielectric layer 180 ortrapped in the defects within the dielectric layer 180 and produce aleaky capacitor. Ultimately, the display quality of the pixel will becompromised.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, at least one objective of the present invention is toprovide a thin film transistor array substrate and a repairing methodthat prevents any leakage current flowing between the upper and thelower electrode of a storage capacitor due to the presence of unwantedparticles between the two.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, theinvention provides a thin film transistor array substrate. The thin filmtransistor array substrate mainly comprises a substrate, a plurality ofscan lines, a plurality of data lines, a plurality of thin filmtransistors, a plurality of pixel electrodes, a plurality of commonlines and a patterned upper electrode. The scan lines and the data linesare disposed over the substrate to define a plurality of pixel areas.Each thin film transistor is disposed within one of the pixel areas anddriven by one of the scan lines and one of the data lines. Each pixelelectrode is also disposed within one of the pixel areas and iselectrically connected to one of the thin film transistors. The commonlines are disposed over the substrate such that a portion area of eachpixel electrode is above one of the common lines. The patterned upperelectrode is disposed between the pixel electrode and one of the commonlines. The patterned upper electrode comprises a plurality of sub-upperelectrodes. A portion area of each sub-upper electrode is electricallyconnected to one of the pixel electrodes.

The present invention also provides a second thin film transistor arraysubstrate. The second thin film transistor array substrate mainlycomprises a substrate, a plurality of scan lines, a plurality of datalines, a plurality of thin film transistors, a plurality of pixelelectrodes and a patterned upper electrode. The scan lines and the datalines are disposed over the substrate to define a plurality of pixelareas. Each thin film transistor is disposed within one of the pixelareas and driven by one of the scan lines and one of the data lines.Each pixel electrode is also disposed within one of the pixel areas andis electrically connected to one of the thin film transistors. A portionarea of each pixel electrode is above one of the scan lines. Thepatterned upper electrode is disposed between the pixel electrode andone of the scan lines. The patterned upper electrode comprises aplurality of sub-upper electrodes. A portion area of each sub-upperelectrode is electrically connected to one of the pixel electrodes.

The present invention also provides a third thin film transistor arraysubstrate. The third thin film transistor array substrate mainlycomprises a substrate, a plurality of scan lines, a plurality of datalines, a plurality of thin film transistors, a plurality of pixelelectrodes, a plurality of common lines and a patterned upper electrode.The scan lines and the data lines are disposed over the substrate todefine a plurality of pixel areas. Each thin film transistor is disposedwithin one of the pixel areas and driven by one of the scan lines andone of the data lines. Each pixel electrode is also disposed within oneof the pixel areas and is electrically connected to one of the thin filmtransistors. The common lines are disposed over the substrate such thata portion area of each pixel electrode is above one of the common lines.The patterned upper electrode is disposed between the pixel electrodeand one of the common lines. The patterned upper electrode comprises aplurality of sub-upper electrodes. The sub-upper electrodes connectelectrically with the pixel electrode such that the sub-upper electrodesand the common lines are coupled to form a plurality of capacitors. Whenat least one of the capacitors is a defective capacitor, the sub-upperelectrode and one of the pixel electrodes of the defective capacitor areelectrically isolated. Furthermore, a portion area of the othersub-upper electrodes is electrically connected to one of the pixelelectrodes.

The present invention also provides a fourth thin film transistor arraysubstrate. The fourth thin film transistor array substrate mainlycomprises a substrate, a plurality of scan lines, a plurality of datalines, a plurality of thin film transistors, a plurality of pixelelectrodes and a patterned upper electrode. The scan lines and the datalines are disposed over the substrate to define a plurality of pixelareas. Each thin film transistor is disposed within one of the pixelareas and driven by one of the scan lines and one of the data lines.Each pixel electrode is also disposed within one of the pixel areas andis electrically connected to one of the thin film transistors. A portionarea of each pixel electrode is above one of the scan lines. Thepatterned upper electrode is disposed between the pixel electrode andone of the scan lines. The patterned upper electrode comprises aplurality of sub-upper electrodes. The sub-upper electrodes connectelectrically with the pixel electrode such that the sub-upper electrodesand the scan lines are coupled to form a plurality of capacitors. Whenat least one of the capacitors is a defective capacitor, the sub-upperelectrode and one of the pixel electrodes of the defective capacitor areelectrically isolated. Furthermore, a portion area of the othersub-upper electrodes is electrically connected to one of the pixelelectrodes.

The present invention also provides a method of repairing theaforementioned thin film transistor array substrate. A defectivecapacitor is formed when a particle/defect is produced between asub-upper electrode and a common line or a scan line. The method ofrepairing the defective capacitor includes removing a portion area ofthe pixel electrode corresponding to the sub-upper electrode of adefective storage capacitor and isolating the pixel electrode and thecorresponding sub-upper electrode of the defective storage capacitor.

The present invention also provides a fifth thin film transistor arraysubstrate. The fifth thin film transistor array substrate mainlycomprises a substrate, a plurality of scan lines, a plurality of datalines, a plurality of thin film transistors, a plurality of pixelelectrodes, a plurality of common lines and an upper electrode. The scanlines and the data lines are disposed over the substrate to define aplurality of pixel areas. Each thin film transistor is disposed withinone of the pixel areas and driven by one of the scan lines and one ofthe data lines. Each pixel electrode is also disposed within one of thepixel areas and is electrically connected to one of the thin filmtransistors. The common lines are disposed over the substrate such thata portion area of each pixel electrode is above one of the common lines.The upper electrode is disposed between the pixel electrode and one ofthe common lines. The upper electrode is electrically connected to thepixel electrode and the upper electrode and the common line are coupledtogether to form a plurality of capacitors. When at least one of thecapacitors is defective, the upper electrode and the corresponding pixelelectrode of the defective capacitor are electrically isolated.Furthermore, the upper electrode and the corresponding common line ofthe defective capacitor are welded together.

The present invention also provides a sixth thin film transistor arraysubstrate. The sixth thin film transistor array substrate mainlycomprises a substrate, a plurality of scan lines, a plurality of datalines, a plurality of thin film transistors, a plurality of pixelelectrodes and an upper electrode. The scan lines and the data lines aredisposed over the substrate to define a plurality of pixel areas. Eachthin film transistor is disposed within one of the pixel areas anddriven by one of the scan lines and one of the data lines. Each pixelelectrode is also disposed within one of the pixel areas and iselectrically connected to one of the thin film transistors. A portionarea of each pixel electrode is above one of the scan lines. The upperelectrode is disposed between the pixel electrode and one of the scanlines. The upper electrode is electrically connected to the pixelelectrode and the upper electrode and the common line are coupledtogether to form a plurality of capacitors. When at least one of thecapacitors is defective, the upper electrode and the corresponding pixelelectrode of the defective capacitor are electrically isolated.Furthermore, the upper electrode and the corresponding scan line of thedefective capacitor are welded together.

The present invention also provides a second method of repairing a thinfilm transistor array substrate. The method is particularly suitable forrepairing the storage capacitor on gate (Cst on gate) or the storagecapacitor on common line (Cst on common line) of a thin film transistorarray substrate. A portion area of the each pixel electrode is disposedabove one of the scan lines or one of the common lines. Furthermore, anupper electrode is disposed between the pixel electrode and thecorresponding scan line or the common line. The pixel electrode and theupper electrode are electrically connected. A defective capacitor isformed when a particle/defect is produced between the upper electrodeand the common line or the scan line. The method of repairing thedefective capacitor includes removing a portion area of the pixelelectrode corresponding to the upper electrode of a defective storagecapacitor and electrically isolating the upper electrode and thecorresponding pixel electrode of the defective storage capacitor.Thereafter, the upper electrode and the scan line or common line of thedefective capacitor are welded together.

In the present invention, a patterned upper electrode comprising aplurality of sub-upper electrodes is disposed between each pixelelectrode and corresponding common line (or scan line). A defectivecapacitor is formed when particles are formed in the material betweenone of the sub-upper electrodes and its corresponding common line (orscan line). By removing a portion area of the pixel electrode above thesub-upper electrode of the defective capacitor, the sub-upper electrodeand the corresponding pixel electrode of the defective capacitor iselectrically isolated. Hence, leakage between the upper and lowerelectrode of a storage capacitor due to the presence of particles ordefects can be adefected.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended toprovide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of theinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a top view of a portion of a conventional thin film transistorarray substrate.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line A-A' of the thinfilm transistor array substrate in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a thin film transistor array substrate accordingto one preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line B-B' of the thinfilm transistor array substrate in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the thin film transistor array substrate in FIG.3 after performing a laser repairing operation.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view along C-C' of the thin filmtransistor array substrate shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the electricalconnection between the common line and the sub-upper electrode in adefective capacitor for repairing a thin film transistor array substrateaccording to one preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the reparation of athin film transistor array substrate when a particle is disposed betweena pixel electrode and a common line.

FIGS. 9A through 9D are top views showing different types of thin filmtransistor array substrates according to another preferred embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a thin film transistor array substrateaccording to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a top view of the thin film transistor array substrate inFIG. 10 after a laser repairing operation.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are top views showing the method of repairing the scanline structure of the storage capacitor inside a thin film transistorarray substrate according to the present invention.

FIGS. 14 and 15 are top view and cross-sectional view showing theconfiguration after applying the method of the present invention torepair a conventional thin film transistor array substrate.

FIGS. 16A through 16D show the types of openings formed on the pixelelectrode of a conventional thin film transistor array substrate.

FIG. 17 is a top view showing a thin film transistor array substrateapplied to a multi-domain vertical alignment liquid crystal display(MVA-LCD) according to yet another preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 18 is a top view of the thin film transistor array substrate of theMVA-LCD in FIG. 17 repaired according to the method of the presentinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferredembodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers areused in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or likeparts.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a thin film transistor array substrate accordingto one preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is aschematic cross-sectional view along line B-B' of the thin filmtransistor array substrate in FIG. 3. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, thethin film transistor array substrate 200 mainly comprises a substrate210, a plurality of scan lines 220, a plurality of data lines 230, aplurality of thin film transistor 240, a plurality of pixel electrodes250, a plurality of common lines 260 (only one is shown) and a patternedupper electrode 270.

The scan lines 220 and the data lines 230 are disposed over thesubstrate 210 to define a plurality of pixel areas 212. Each thin filmtransistors 240 is disposed inside one of the pixel areas 212 and drivenby one of the scan lines 220 and one of the data lines 230. Each pixelelectrode 250 is disposed inside one of the pixel areas 212 andelectrically connected to one of the thin film transistors 240. Thecommon line 260 is disposed over the substrate 210 such that a portionarea of each pixel electrode 250 is above one of the common lines 260.

The patterned upper electrode 270 is disposed between each pixelelectrode 250 and the corresponding common line 260. A dielectric layer280 is disposed between the patterned upper electrode 270 and the commonline 260. Another dielectric layer 290 is disposed between the patternedupper electrode 270 and the pixel electrode 250. It should be noted thatthe patterned upper electrode 270 comprises a plurality of sub-upperelectrodes 272 (only two of them are shown). A portion area of eachsub-upper electrode 272 is electrically connected to one of the pixelelectrodes 250. For example, a contact 292 is formed in the dielectriclayer 290 above each sub-upper electrode 272 so that each sub-upperelectrode 272 is electrically connected to one of the pixel electrodes250. Hence, the sub-upper electrode 272 and one of the common lines 260together form a storage capacitor (Cst).

FIG. 5 is a top view of the thin film transistor array substrate in FIG.3 after performing a laser repairing operation. FIG. 6 is a schematiccross-sectional view along C-C′ of the thin film transistor arraysubstrate shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, if there is aparticle (or defect) in the material between one of the sub-upperelectrodes 272 and one of the common lines 260, leakage between thesub-upper electrode 272 a and the common line 260 may occur. Thus, thepixel may display abnormally and need a repair. The method of repairingthe pixel includes removing a portion area of the pixel electrode 250corresponding to the sub-upper electrode 272 a of the defectivecapacitor so that the sub-upper electrode 272 a and the correspondingpixel electrode 250 of the defective capacitor are electricallyisolated.

In the present embodiment, a portion area of the pixel electrode 250above the sub-upper electrode 272 a of the corresponding defectivecapacitor is removed to form an opening 252. The method of removing aportion area of the pixel electrode 250 includes laser ablation, forexample. The opening 252 is located around the contact area between thesub-upper electrode 272 a and the corresponding pixel electrode 250 ofthe defective capacitor (that is, around the contact 292). By formingthe opening 252, the sub-upper electrode 272 a and the correspondingpixel electrode 250 of the defective capacitor are electricallyisolated. Since the repair causes no disruption to other sub-upperelectrodes, the repaired pixel electrode 250 can function properly.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the electricalconnection between the common line and the sub-upper electrode in adefective capacitor for repairing a thin film transistor array substrateaccording to one preferred embodiment of the present invention. Afterremoving a portion area of the pixel electrode 250 corresponding to thesub-upper electrode 272 a of the defective capacitor to isolate thesub-upper electrode 272 a and the pixel electrode 250 electrically, thesub-upper electrode 272 a and the corresponding common line 260 arewelded together (labeled A). Hence, the sub-upper electrode 272 a andthe common line 260 of the defective capacitor are configured at thesame potential to prevent any leakage via the particles (or defects).The sub-upper electrode 272 a and the corresponding common line 260 arewelded together by performing a laser welding process, for example.

In the present invention, the location at which the sub-upper electrode272 a and the corresponding common line 260 of the defective capacitorweld together is underneath the contact 292. However, anyone familiarwith the technologies may choose other suitable locations convenient forwelding the sub-upper electrode 272 a and the corresponding common line260 of the defective capacitor together.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the reparation of athin film transistor array substrate when a particle is disposed betweena pixel electrode and a common line. When a particle 30 (or a defect) isformed inside the layers between the pixel electrode and one of thecommon lines, the repairing method of the present invention also permitsthe removal of a portion area of the pixel electrode 250 above theparticle 30 (or defect). For example, a portion area of the pixelelectrode 250 is removed to form an opening 254 that exposes theparticle 30 (or defect) using a laser beam.

FIGS. 9A through 9D are top views showing different types of thin filmtransistor array substrates according to another preferred embodiment ofthe present invention. The thin film transistor array substrate of thepresent embodiment is mostly identical to the one shown in FIG. 3. Onemajor difference is that one or more openings 256 are formed in eachpixel electrode 250 when the pixel electrodes 250 are formed. Theopenings 256 are disposed around the contact region between each subcontact pad 272 and one of the pixel electrodes 250. For example, astraight line opening 256 (shown in FIG. 9A), two straight line openings256 (shown in FIG. 9B), an L-shaped opening (shown in FIG. 9C) or aU-shaped opening 256 (shown in FIG. 9D) is formed over the pixelelectrode 250 corresponding to each sub contact pad 272. With an opening256 formed over the every pixel electrode 250, a portion area of any onepixel electrode 250 can be readily removed to connect the ends of theopening 256. Hence, an opening similar to the opening 252 that encirclesthe contact 292 as shown in FIG. 5 can be produced when there is aparticle (or defect) between a sub-upper electrode 272 and one of thecommon lines 260. In the present embodiment, the method of removing aportion area of the pixel electrode 250 includes performing a laserablation process.

As shown in FIGS. 9A through 9D, a portion area of the opening 256 isdisposed above the area occupied by the sub-upper electrode 272 whilethe remaining portion area of the opening 256 is disposed outside thearea occupied by the sub-upper electrode 272. In other words, theopenings 256 also cover a region outside the upper electrode 272 tosimplify and speed the repairing operation. In addition, anyone familiarwith the technology may notice that there is no particular restrictionon the dimension of each opening 256.

FIG. 10 is a top view of a thin film transistor array substrateaccording to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG.11 is a top view of the thin film transistor array substrate in FIG. 10after a laser repairing operation. In the present embodiment, the thinfilm transistor array substrate has a structure mostly similar to theone shown in FIG. 3. One major difference of the present embodiment isthat the sub-upper electrodes 272 underneath each pixel electrode 250are mutually connected through a neck portion 274 that can be severed ina repair operation.

In the presence of a particle 20 (or defect) between one of thesub-upper electrode 270 and one of the common lines 260, a leakagebetween the sub-upper electrode 272 a and the common line 260 may occur.To repair such defect, a portion area of the pixel electrode 250corresponding to the sub-upper electrode 272 a of the defectivecapacitor is removed. Thereafter, the neck portion 274 connecting withthe sub-upper electrode 272 a of the defective capacitor 272 a is cut sothat the sub-upper electrode 272 a and the corresponding pixel electrode250 of the defective capacitor are electrically isolated. In the presentembodiment, a portion area of the pixel electrode 250 is removed to forman opening 252. The opening 252 is located around the contact areabetween the sub-upper electrode 272 a and the corresponding pixelelectrode of the defective capacitor. Furthermore, the method ofremoving a portion area of the pixel electrode 250 includes performing alaser ablation and the method of cutting the neck portion 274 includesperforming a laser cutting operation. After cutting the neck portion 274connecting the sub-upper electrode 272 a of the defective capacitor, thesub-upper electrode 272 a and the corresponding pixel electrode 250 areelectrically isolated to achieve the goal of repairing a thin filmtransistor array substrate.

The aforementioned embodiment is applied to repair a thin filmtransistor array substrate with a capacitor on common line structure(Cst on common). However, the repairing method of the present inventionis not limited as such but can be applied to a thin film transistorarray substrate with a capacitor on scan line structure (Cst on gate) aswell.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are top views showing the method of repairing the scanline structure of the storage capacitor inside a thin film transistorarray substrate according to the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 12and 13, the thin film transistor array substrate has a capacitor on scanline structure (Cst on gate) similar to one shown in FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 12, a portion area of each pixel electrode 250 extendsinto the area above one of the scan lines 220. The patterned upperelectrode 270 is disposed between the pixel electrode 250 and thecorresponding scan line 220. The patterned upper electrode 270 comprisesa plurality of sub-upper electrodes 272. The sub-upper electrode 272 andits underlying scan line 220 together form a storage capacitor insideeach pixel.

As shown in FIG. 13, the patterned upper electrode 270 is disposedbetween each pixel electrode 250 and one of the scan lines 220. Thepatterned upper electrode 270 comprises a plurality of sub-upperelectrodes 272. Furthermore, each sub-upper electrode 272 underneath thepixel electrode 250 has a neck portion 274 connecting with each other.The neck portion 274 serves as a cutting area in a repairing operation.

In the presence of a particle (or defect) 20 in the material between oneof the sub-upper electrodes 272 and one of the scan lines 220, leakagebetween the sub-upper electrode 272 a and the scan line 220 may occur.Thus, the pixel may display abnormally and need a repair. The method ofrepairing the pixel includes removing a portion area of the pixelelectrode 250 corresponding to the sub-upper electrode 272 a of thedefective capacitor so that the sub-upper electrode 272 a and thecorresponding pixel electrode 250 of the defective capacitor areelectrically isolated.

As shown in FIG. 12, a portion area of the pixel electrode 250 above thesub-upper electrode 272 a of the corresponding defective capacitor isremoved to form an opening 252. By forming the opening 252 in the pixelelectrode 250, the sub-upper electrode 272 a and the corresponding pixelelectrode 250 of the defective capacitor are electrically isolated. Themethod of removing a portion area of the pixel electrode 250 includeslaser ablation, for example.

As shown in FIG. 13, the repairing method includes removing a portionarea of the pixel electrode corresponding to the sub-upper electrode 272a of the defective capacitor to form an opening 252. Furthermore, theneck portion 274 connecting with the sub-upper electrode 272 a of thedefective capacitor is cut so that the sub-upper electrode 272 a of thedefective capacitor and the corresponding pixel electrode 250 areelectrically isolated. The method of removing a portion area of thepixel electrode 250 includes a laser ablation process and the method ofcutting the neck portion 274 includes a laser cutting operation.

After removing a portion area of the pixel electrode corresponding tothe sub-upper electrode of the defective capacitor, the sub-upperelectrode of the defective capacitor and one of the scan lines can beelectrically connected by performing a laser welding process. Similarly,if a particle (or defect) is found between the pixel electrode and oneof the scan lines, the pixel electrode above the particle (or defect)can be removed using a laser removing method. In addition, the processof fabricating the pixel electrode may include forming one or moreopenings similar to the ones described in FIGS. 9A through 9D tofacilitate a laser repair operation.

It should be noted that the repairing method of the present inventioncould be applied to repair a thin film transistor array substrate havinga single upper electrode beside repairing a thin film transistor arraysubstrate having a patterned upper electrode thereon.

FIGS. 14 and 15 are top view and cross-sectional view showing theconfiguration after applying the method of the present invention torepair a conventional thin film transistor array substrate. As shown inFIGS. 14 and 15, a conventional thin film transistor array substrate 100has an upper electrode 170 between every pixel electrode 150 andcorresponding common line 160. In the presence of a particle (or defect)10 between any upper electrode 170 and the corresponding common line160, the repairing method of the present invention can be used torectify the problem. The repairing method of the present embodimentincludes removing a portion area of the pixel electrode 150corresponding to the upper electrode 170 a of the defective capacitor sothat the upper electrode 170 a and the pixel electrode 150 of thedefective capacitor is electrically isolated. Thereafter, the upperelectrode 170 a and the corresponding common line 160 are weldedtogether. Obviously, whether to weld the upper electrode 170 a and thecommon line 160 of the defective capacitor together can be determined bythe amount of leakage in the defective capacitor.

In the present embodiment, a portion area of the pixel electrode 150above the upper electrode 170 a of the corresponding defective capacitoris removed to form an opening 152. The method of removing a portion areaof the pixel electrode 150 includes laser ablation, for example. Theopening 152 is located around the contact area between the upperelectrode 170 a and the corresponding pixel electrode 150 of thedefective capacitor (that is, around the contact 192). By forming theopening 152, the upper electrode 170 a and the corresponding pixelelectrode 150 of the defective capacitor are electrically isolated.Thereafter, the upper electrode 170 a and the corresponding common line160 are welded together (as shown in label B), for example, byperforming a laser welding process, so that the upper electrode 170 aand the common line 160 of the defective capacitor are configured at thesame potential.

Obviously, in the presence of a particle or defects (not shown) betweenthe pixel electrode and one of the common lines 160, the pixel electrode150 above the particle (or defect) can be removed in a laser ablationprocess.

FIGS. 16A through 16D show the types of openings formed on the pixelelectrode of a conventional thin film transistor array substrate. Tosimplify and speed up the repairing process, one or more openings 154are also formed over the thin film transistor array substrate in theprocess of fabricating the pixel electrode 150. For example, a straightline opening 154 (as shown in FIG. 16A), a pair of straight lineopenings 154 (as shown in FIG. 16B), an L-shaped opening 154 (as shownin FIG. 16C) or a U-shaped opening 154 (as shown in FIG. 16D) are formedover the pixel electrode 150. Since the openings 154 are similar to theopenings disclosed in FIGS. 9A through 9D, detailed description isomitted.

Accordingly, in the conventional thin film transistor array substrate100, an upper electrode 170 and an electrically connected pixelelectrode 150 together with a common line 160 form ametal-insulator-metal (MIM) storage capacitor structure. When thematerial layer between the upper electrode 170 (the upper electrode 170a) and one of the common lines 160 contains a particle 10 (or defect),the MIM storage capacitor is defective. To repair the defectivecapacitor, a portion area of the pixel electrode 150 corresponding tothe upper electrode 170 a of the defective capacitor can be removed sothat the upper electrode 170 a and the corresponding pixel electrode 150are electrically isolated. Thereafter, the upper electrode 170 a and thecorresponding common line 160 of the defective capacitor are weldedtogether so that the pixel electrode 150 and the upper electrode 170 aof the defective capacitor form a storage capacitor having ametal-insulator-pixel electrode structure.

It should be noted that the thin film transistor array substrate 100 inFIGS. 14 and 15 has capacitor on common line (Cst on common) storagecapacitor thereon. However, anyone familiar with the technology canapply the repairing method of the present invention to a substratehaving a capacitor on gate (Cst on gate) storage capacitor thereon.

In addition, the thin film transistor array substrate according to thepresent invention can be applied to a multi-domain vertical alignmentliquid crystal display (MVA-LCD) as well. The pixel electrodes of theliquid crystal display are shaped into slits so that the field directionchanges from one substrate board to another. Furthermore, the liquidcrystal molecules between the substrate boards can be uniformly alignedin various domains so that the liquid crystal display panel can have awide viewing angle.

FIG. 17 is a top view showing a thin film transistor array substrateapplied to a multi-domain vertical alignment liquid crystal display(MVA-LCD) according to yet another preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. The thin film transistor array substrate 300 in the presentembodiment has a structure very similar to the thin film transistorarray substrate disclosed in FIG. 1. Hence, only the dissimilar portionsare described in the following.

The thin film transistor array substrate 300 has at least a first slit352 and at last a second slit 354 disposed over each pixel electrode350. The first slit 352 extends in a direction different from the secondslit 354 and the direction of extension of the first and the second slit352, 354 are different from the scan line 320, the data line 330 or thecommon line 360. In addition, a first slit 352 and one of the secondslits 354 are connected together through a connecting area 356 when thefirst slits 352 and the second slits 354 are formed. The electricalcontact area (the contact 392) between the upper electrode 370 and thecorresponding pixel electrode 350 are adjacent to the connecting area356 between the first and the second slit. Furthermore, the upperelectrode 370 and the corresponding common line 360 are coupled to forma capacitor.

It should be noted a repair is required when a particle or defect isformed between the upper electrode 370 and one of the common lines 360so that the upper electrode 370 and the common line 360 together form adefective capacitor. FIG. 18 is a top view of the thin film transistorarray substrate of the MVA-LCD in FIG. 17 repaired according to themethod of the present invention. The repairing method includes removinga portion area of the pixel electrode 350 corresponding to the upperelectrode of the defective capacitor. In the present embodiment, theportion area of the pixel electrode 350 to be removed is the area aroundthe electrical contact (the contact 392) between the upper electrode 370and the corresponding pixel electrode 350. Thus, the upper electrode 370of the defective capacitor and the corresponding pixel electrode 350 areelectrically isolated. In other words, by removing a small portion ofthe pixel electrode 350 (a small area around contact 392) covering theupper electrode 370, the upper electrode 370 and the corresponding pixelelectrode 350 of the defective capacitor are electrically isolated.Since only a small portion of the pixel electrode 350 covering the upperelectrode 370 is removed in the present embodiment, a large capacitancecan be maintained after the repair operation.

Thereafter, the upper electrode 370 and the corresponding common line360 of the defective capacitor are welded together so that the upperelectrode 370 and the corresponding common line 360 of the defectivecapacitor are at the same potential. Obviously, whether to weld theupper electrode 370 and the common line 360 of the defective capacitortogether can be determined by the amount of leakage in the defectivecapacitor.

Accordingly, in the thin film transistor array substrate 300, an upperelectrode 370 and an electrically connected pixel electrode 350 togetherwith a common line 360 form a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) storagecapacitor structure. When the material layer between the upper electrode370 and one of the common lines 360 contains a particle 10 or defect,the MIM storage capacitor is defective. To repair the defectivecapacitor, a portion area of the pixel electrode 350 around the contact392 is removed so that the upper electrode 370 and the pixel electrode350 are electrically isolated. Therefore, the pixel electrode 350 andthe upper electrode 370 of the defective capacitor together form astorage capacitor having a metal-insulator-pixel electrode structure.

Obviously, if a particle of defect is found between the pixel electrode350 and one of the common lines 360 of the aforementioned thin filmtransistor array substrate 300, the pixel electrode 350 above theparticle or defect can be removed. Thus, the particle or defect iselectrically isolated from the pixel electrode 350.

In summary, the thin film transistor array substrate and repairingmethod of the present invention has the following advantages:

1. The repairing method prevents any leakage between the upper and lowerelectrode of a storage capacitor in the presence of particle or defectbetween the two electrodes.

2. The patterned upper electrode can be fabricated together with thesecond metallic layer (M2) including the data line, the drain and thesource. Hence, no additional processing cost is incurred.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the structure of the presentinvention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present inventioncover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fallwithin the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

1. A thin film transistor array substrate, comprising: a substrate; aplurality of scan lines disposed over the substrate; a plurality of datalines disposed over the substrate, wherein the scan lines and the datalines together define a plurality of pixel areas; a plurality of thinfilm transistors with each thin film transistor disposed inside one ofthe pixel areas, wherein each thin film transistor is driven by one ofthe scan lines; a plurality of pixel electrodes with each pixelelectrode disposed inside one of the pixel areas and electricallyconnected to one of the thin film transistors and each pixel electrodehaving a plurality of openings; a plurality of common lines disposedover the substrate, wherein a portion area of each pixel electrode isdisposed above one of the common lines; and a patterned upper electrodedisposed between each pixel electrode and one of the common lines,wherein the patterned upper electrode comprises a plurality of sub-upperelectrodes with a portion area of each sub-upper electrode electricallyconnected to one of the pixel electrodes, and each opening of the pixelelectrode is disposed above one sub-upper electrode, respectively. 2.The thin film transistor array substrate of claim 1, wherein the openingincludes a stripe line opening, an L-shaped opening or a U-shapedopening.
 3. The thin film transistor array substrate of claim 1, whereina portion of each opening is above the sub-upper electrode and theremaining portion of the opening is above an area outside the sub-upperelectrode.
 4. The thin film transistor array substrate of claim 1,wherein each sub-upper electrode couples with the common line to form acapacitor, respectively.
 5. A thin film transistor array substrate,comprising: a substrate; a plurality of scan lines disposed over thesubstrate; a plurality of data lines disposed over the substrate,wherein the scan lines and the data lines together define a plurality ofpixel areas; a plurality of thin film transistors with each thin filmtransistor disposed inside one of the pixel areas, wherein each thinfilm transistor is driven by one of the scan lines; a plurality of pixelelectrodes with each pixel electrode disposed inside one of the pixelareas and electrically connected to one of the thin film transistors andeach pixel electrode having a plurality of openings; a plurality ofcommon lines disposed over the substrate, wherein a portion area of eachpixel electrode is disposed above one of the common lines; and apatterned upper electrode disposed between each pixel electrode and oneof the common lines, wherein the patterned upper electrode comprises aplurality of sub-upper electrodes with a portion area of each sub-upperelectrode electrically connected to one of the pixel electrodes, andeach at least two openings of the pixel electrode is disposed above onesub-upper electrode, respectively.
 6. The thin film transistor arraysubstrate of claim 5, wherein the at least two openings includes twostripe line openings.
 7. The thin film transistor array substrate ofclaim 5, wherein a portion of each opening is above the sub-upperelectrode and the remaining portion of the opening is above an areaoutside the sub-upper electrode.
 8. The thin film transistor arraysubstrate of claim 5, wherein each sub-upper electrode couples with thecommon line to foam a capacitor, respectively.